Synopsis
A legal case has been filed against Congress leader Sam Pitroda and others for alleged land grabbing in Bengaluru, involving government property worth over Rs 150 crore. The complaint highlights illegal possession and misuse of reserved forest land associated with medicinal plant cultivation.Key Takeaways
- Sam Pitroda faces allegations of land grabbing.
- The case was filed in Bengaluru under the Karnataka Land Grabbing Prohibition Act 2011.
- Legal complaints involve substantial financial fraud.
- Significant figures from the Karnataka Forest Department are implicated.
- Allegations include illegal construction and operation of an Ayurvedic hospital.
Bengaluru, March 10 (NationPress) A legal case has been initiated against Sam Pitroda, a prominent Congress figure and close ally of Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, along with others, in the Land Grabbing Prohibition Special Court in Bengaluru.
The complaint was lodged by Ramesh N. R., a former leader of the ruling Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and currently the President of the Anti-Corruption Forum.
This petition is filed under Section 4 (2) of the Karnataka Land Grabbing Prohibition Act 2011.
In his submission, Ramesh asserted: "Satyanarayana Gangaram Pitroda, commonly known as Sam Pitroda, is intimately connected with Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, and previously led the overseas wing of the Indian National Congress. He established an organization called FRLHT in Mumbai back in 1996. That same year, they secured a lease for 5 hectares (approximately 12.35 acres) of designated forest land from the Karnataka Forest Department located in Jarakabande Kaval near Yelahanka, Bengaluru, for a period of five years. This lease was extended in 2001 for an additional ten years.
Since 2011, the lease for this 12.35-acre reserved forest land has not been renewed for FRLHT. Nonetheless, for over 14.5 years, they have allegedly disregarded legal requirements, continuing to occupy this significant government property, valued at more than Rs 150 crore and with a market worth exceeding Rs 300 crore, according to Ramesh.
He claims that they have been illicitly generating an annual income of between Rs 5 and Rs 6 crore by marketing rare medicinal plants cultivated on this land as well as their products.
Through a close associate and founding member of FRLHT, Darshan Shankar, they are alleged to have constructed a large unauthorized facility on this reserved forest land, operating an Ayurvedic hospital called I-AIM (Institute of Ayurveda & Integrative Medicine) without proper authorization, he claimed.
On February 24, formal complaints backed by documentation were submitted to the Lokayukta and the Enforcement Directorate regarding this issue, he noted.
"Today, extensive criminal cases, including accusations of government land grabbing, have been registered in the special Land Grabbing Prohibition Special Court against Sam Pitroda and Darshan Shankar, who, with the alleged cooperation of four senior officials from the Karnataka Forest Department, are implicated in this extensive government land acquisition scandal," Ramesh remarked.
Previously, a complaint was filed against Congress leader Sam Pitroda with the Karnataka Lokayukta and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) concerning a land scam valued at Rs 150 crore.
Ramesh alleged, "Sam Pitroda, closely linked with Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, is involved in a significant illegal land scam associated with Karnataka’s Forest Department property worth over Rs 150 crore."
The complaint has also been lodged against Javed Akhtar (IAS Retd.), the former Additional Chief Secretary of Karnataka’s Forest and Environment Department, who currently serves as the Chairman of the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC), as well as R.K. Singh and Sanjay Mohan, the Principal Chief Conservators of Forests, along with N. Ravindra Kumar and S. S. Ravishankar, Deputy Conservators of Forests in the Bengaluru Urban Division.
The allegations encompass fraud, corruption, unlawful government land acquisition, and misuse of authority.
Originally hailing from Odisha, Sam Pitroda has served as an advisor to India’s Telecom Department under former Prime Ministers Rajiv Gandhi and Manmohan Singh.
